DATE: October 7, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning and Development Department
2026-043
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
WAIVER OF UNDERGROUNDING REQUIREMENT FOR OVERHEAD UTILITY WIRES LOCATED AT 675 AND 627 WEST RINCON STREET
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to consider a waiver from the conditions of approval to underground the existing overhead utility wires for CUP2023-0001. The utility poles and high voltage electrical lines on site will remain regardless of whether the applicant is required to underground the overhead utilities.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council grant a waiver under Section 15.60.060 of the Corona Municipal Code for the undergrounding of poles and overhead utility wires located along the easterly property line of 675 and 627 West Rincon Street.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The developer for 675 and 627 West Rincon Street, under Conditional Use Permit application number CUP2023-0001, proposes a battery energy storage facility on three parcels totaling 5.5 acres located at the northwest corner of North Cota Street and Rincon Street in the M-1 (Light Manufacturing) zone (APNs: 119-190-002, 003 & 011). The project plans to construct 120 battery energy storage units and 30 transformer facilities.
The project is currently under construction and is located along West Rincon Street, northwest of the intersection of West Rincon Street and North Cota Street. The project obtained a grading permit for the site grading and the construction of the retaining walls.
The proposed project is conditioned to underground all existing and new utilities adjacent to and on-site in accordance with the City of Corona Corona Municipal Code (CMC) Section 15.60.050, which requires overhead wires that transmit less than 34,000 volts to be relocated underground. The project is also conditioned to complete street widening improvements along North Cota Street and Rincon Street, pavement rehabilitation, update road striping, curb & gutter, sidewalk, parkway and street drainage improvements.
Four utility poles with overhead wires are located along the property’s frontage along the west side North Cota Street. The overall length of the overhead wires less than 34,000 volts to be underground is approximately 375’ fronting North Cota Street. The project is also required to underground approximately 125’ of overhead low voltage wires that cross over North Cota Street from the west side, and connect to the power pole located on the east side of North Cota Street. The above ground wires on the four existing poles that carry over 34,000 volts will not be undergrounded.
The proposed parkway improvements along North Cota Street will grade around the poles and possibly raise the surface around the poles roughly one to three feet. The applicant indicated that they have coordinated with SCE for the proposed modifications to the power poles. The applicant has also indicated that one existing power pole along North Cota Street, owned by SCE, will be replaced with an 85’ tall steel pole to carry the existing SCE 66,000 volts wires. The existing 66,000 volts wire and proposed 85’ tall steel pole will provide service to the proposed SCE Headstock Switchyard. Additionally, the project proposes a second pole replacement to be a steel pole approximately 95 feet tall located on the public right-of-way on the eastern side of North Cota Street. Three existing power poles along North Cota Street, along property’s frontage, are not anticipated to be replaced, the poles are composed of wood and are approximately 70-75 feet tall.
ANALYSIS:
The applicant submitted a request to the City on August 27, 2026, that the City Council grant a waiver of undergrounding requirement for utility poles and overhead wires that run along the property’s frontage along the west side of North Cota Street.
CMC Section 15.60.060 allows the City Council to grant a waiver of this requirement if the finding can be made that the undergrounding of the utility wires would be unreasonable, impractical, and cause undue hardship to the applicant or public.
Staff have determined that the finding exists for the City Council to grant the waiver for the following reasons:
a) The utility poles along Cota Street will remain regardless of whether the overhead wire less than 34,000 volts along the frontage of 675 and 627 West Rincon Street are placed underground.
b) The overhead wires greater than 34,000 volts will continue to remain above ground beyond the boundaries of the project site to the north and south. c) The approximate cost to underground the electrical conduit has been estimated to be $500,000, causing financial hardship to the applicant.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The applicant has paid the Utility Underground Waiver Request fee of $2,013.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA, which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. There is no possibility that this action on granting a waiver to the requirement within the Corona Municipal Code will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: MARIA MIRANDA, SENIOR ENGINEER
REVIEWED BY: JOEL BELDING, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Waiver Request Letter
2. Exhibit 2 – Pole Location
3. Exhibit 3 – Location Map